Is Dawnwood Middle School a good school?

Dawnwood Middle School ranks 1058 th of 1504 New York middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Dawnwood Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,020 students attended Dawnwood Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Dawnwood Middle School?

Students at Dawnwood Middle School are 49% White, 35% Hispanic, 7% Asian, 6% African American, 3% Two or more races.

What high school do graduates of Dawnwood Middle School attend?

Students who attend Dawnwood Middle School usually go on to attend Centereach High School

Dawnwood Middle School

Summary:

Dawnwood Middle School is a public middle school located in Centereach, New York, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 1,074 students. The school is part of the Middle Country Central School District, which is ranked 726 out of 865 school districts in New York and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dawnwood Middle School's academic performance, as measured by state assessments, is generally below the state and district averages. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the percentage of students proficient or better in English Language Arts (ELA) ranged from 21.37% (6th grade) to 47.14% (8th grade), compared to the state averages of 43.64% to 51.88%. In mathematics, Dawnwood's proficiency rates ranged from 41.9% (6th grade) to 51.06% (7th grade), which are also lower than the state averages of 50.56% to 57.08%. However, Dawnwood Middle School performs better in Regents exams, with proficiency rates of 68.65% in Living Environment and 87.95% in Algebra I, exceeding the state averages. The school's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups, with Asian and Hispanic students, as well as students with special needs, English Language Learners, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, consistently underperforming compared to their peers.

Dawnwood Middle School's performance is generally lower than the nearby higher-performing schools, such as Nesaquake Middle School, Great Hollow Middle School, and Robert Cushman Murphy Junior High School, which are part of the Smithtown Central School District and the Three Village Central School District, respectively. These neighboring schools have higher academic proficiency rates, better student group performance, and more favorable funding and resource allocation, suggesting that Dawnwood Middle School could potentially learn from their best practices and strategies to improve its own performance.

Detail:

Public 6-8

10 43rd St
Centereach, NY 11720-2366

(631) 285-8200

District: Middle Country Central School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1058^th of 1,504 New York Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $18,973

Students who attend Dawnwood Middle School usually attend:

High:

Centereach High School

Feeder schools for Dawnwood Middle School:

Elementary:	Eugene Auer Memorial School
	Holbrook Road School
	Jericho Elementary School
	Oxhead Road School
	More...
	Unity Drive Kindergarten-Pre K Center

Student/teacher ratio: 13.6

Number of students: 1,020

Racial breakdown:

White:

48.6%

Hispanic:

35.1%

Asian:

7.3%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 41.1%

See top rated New York middle schools

Compare Dawnwood Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Dawnwood Middle School ranks worse than 70.3% of middle schools in New York. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 32.94. (See more...)

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (48.6%), Hispanic (35.1%), Asian (7.3%). (See more...)

Compare Details 41.1% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Compare Details (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Dawnwood Middle School is 13.6. (See more...)

Compare Dawnwood Middle School employs 74.6 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Dawnwood Middle School is $18,973.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Dawnwood Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Dawnwood Middle School 1058^th of 1504 New York public middle schools. (See Dawnwood Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

English Language Learner students:

Special Education students:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Male students:

Asian students:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Middle Country Central School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Middle Country Central School District 726^th of 865 New York school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Dawnwood Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2006	72.77	312^th	1095	71.5%
2007	74.24	293^rd	1123	73.9%
2008	72.08	369^th	1185	68.9%
2009	72.38	367^th	1224	70.0%
2010	73.44	347^th	1243	72.1%
2011	71.51	393^rd	1295	69.7%
2012	73.44	351^st	1337	73.7%
2013	72.67	303^rd	1373	77.9%
2014	55.39	551^st	1401	60.7%
2015	54.24	583^rd	1407	58.6%
2016	52.86	613^th	1429	57.1%
2017	43.73	805^th	1455	44.7%
2018	33.78	973^rd	1438	32.3%
2019	45.05	734^th	1439	49.0%
2021	34.15	847^th	1242	31.8%
2022	43.50	821^st	1479	44.5%
2023	42.51	882^nd	1500	41.2%
2024	32.94	1058^th	1504	29.7%

See the entire list of New York Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	37.84	299^th	503	40.6%
2019	31.04	368^th	473	22.2%
2021	25.21	84^th	118	28.8%
2022	21.50	567^th	581	2.4%
2023	27.45	513^th	591	13.2%
2024	27.56	534^th	615	13.2%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	24.05	1077^th	1170	7.9%
2019	27.85	939^th	1139	17.6%
2022	30.54	988^th	1283	23.0%
2023	28.41	1017^th	1307	22.2%
2024	30.96	941^st	1303	27.8%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	26.60	1006^th	1245	19.2%
2019	36.09	778^th	1241	37.3%
2021	29.09	718^th	935	23.2%
2022	31.14	957^th	1306	26.7%
2023	31.23	958^th	1288	25.6%
2024	21.39	1120^th	1296	13.6%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	34.62	938^th	1353	30.7%
2019	44.49	731^st	1370	46.6%
2021	39.48	649^th	1066	39.1%
2022	39.94	872^nd	1454	40.0%
2023	36.99	964^th	1463	34.1%
2024	27.85	1126^th	1465	23.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	36.21	876^th	1352	35.2%
2019	47.24	650^th	1366	52.4%
2021	30.31	786^th	1071	26.6%
2022	48.39	689^th	1455	52.6%
2023	48.68	719^th	1464	50.9%
2024	38.97	906^th	1464	38.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	22.40	316^th	374	15.5%
2019	37.03	272^nd	369	26.3%
2022	24.79	317^th	381	16.8%
2024	28.49	324^th	396	18.2%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	64.72	168^th	663	74.7%
2023	44.77	376^th	696	46.0%
2024	31.44	517^th	705	26.7%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	19.99	720^th	810	11.1%
2019	28.39	625^th	826	24.3%
2021	17.81	414^th	449	7.8%
2022	25.07	739^th	914	19.1%
2023	27.77	737^th	943	21.8%
2024	20.55	838^th	953	12.1%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Dawnwood Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	NY State Percentile
2018	21.39	667^th	763	12.6%
2019	28.39	543^rd	716	24.2%
2021	49.41	297^th	614	51.6%
2022	50.29	369^th	748	50.7%
2023	47.25	415^th	772	46.2%
2024	39.80	490^th	778	37.0%

See the entire list of Best New York Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: NY State Education Department, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: NY State Education Department

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Enrollment information for Dawnwood Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
1989	933	19	12	29	0	n/a	n/a	993
1990	994	14	7	15	0	n/a	n/a	1030
1991	936	19	13	40	0	n/a	n/a	1008
1992	933	21	15	36	0	n/a	n/a	1005
1993	944	17	10	28	0	n/a	n/a	999
1994	909	30	24	42	0	n/a	n/a	1005
1995	980	27	11	35	0	n/a	n/a	1053
1996	980	27	11	35	0	n/a	n/a	1053
1997	1001	24	30	65	0	n/a	n/a	1120
1998	1027	21	22	66	5	n/a	n/a	1141
1999	1068	32	29	75	0	n/a	n/a	1204
2000	1102	24	35	90	1	n/a	n/a	1252
2001	1160	38	32	87	0	n/a	n/a	1317
2002	1160	41	50	100	2	n/a	n/a	1353
2003	1160	41	50	100	2	n/a	n/a	1353
2004	1194	32	46	106	2	n/a	n/a	1380
2005	1068	40	51	114	2	n/a	n/a	1275
2006	1093	36	50	116	0	n/a	n/a	1295
2007	984	33	55	134	0	n/a	n/a	1206
2008	1004	36	68	140	3	n/a	n/a	1251
2009	979	44	70	156	0	n/a	n/a	1249
2010	951	36	70	150	0	n/a	n/a	1207
2011	955	47	51	140	0	0	0	1193
2012	909	40	64	151	0	1	0	1165
2013	903	49	65	143	0	1	7	1168
2014	903	38	74	154	1	0	11	1181
2015	876	32	70	180	1	0	8	1167
2016	842	40	76	215	1	0	7	1181
2017	761	42	74	217	0	1	9	1104
2018	739	41	79	209	0	0	7	1075
2019	707	39	88	239	0	0	14	1087
2020	642	25	84	271	0	1	20	1043
2021	592	30	77	291	0	2	26	1018
2022	554	39	71	282	0	1	32	979
2023	561	57	66	354	0	1	35	1074
2024	496	57	74	358	0	1	34	1020

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Dawnwood Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	993	70.9	14.0	n/a
1990	1030	71.9	14.3	n/a
1991	1008	74.9	13.4	n/a
1992	1005	65.9	15.2	n/a
1993	999	60.0	16.7	n/a
1994	1005	62.0	16.2	8.5
1995	1053	62.8	16.8	9.4
1996	1053	62.8	16.8	9.4
1997	1120	67.9	16.5	10.2
1998	1141	76.3	15.0	9.2
1999	1204	82.8	14.5	8.7
2000	1252	81.7	15.3	16.4
2001	1317	80.1	16.4	12.1
2002	1353	92.3	14.7	14.2
2003	1353	92.3	14.7	14.2
2004	1380	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1275	91.6	13.9	18.7
2006	1295	93.0	13.9	14.3
2007	1206	95.0	12.7	16.7
2008	1251	91.0	13.7	15.9
2009	1249	92.5	13.5	18.9
2010	1207	94.0	12.8	23.2
2011	1193	91.7	13.0	22.4
2012	1165	82.5	14.1	24.7
2013	1168	73.0	16.0	30.5
2014	1181	75.5	15.6	26.2
2015	1167	77.0	15.1	31.9
2016	1181	83.0	14.2	34.8
2017	1104	82.4	13.3	38.7
2018	1075	79.0	13.6	33.3
2019	1087	78.9	13.7	28.2
2020	1043	88.0	11.8	38.4
2021	1018	84.4	12.0	22.7
2022	979	79.3	12.3	33.8
2023	1074	76.5	14.0	37.4
2024	1020	74.6	13.6	41.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Dawnwood Middle School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1989	993	70.9	14.0	n/a
1990	1030	71.9	14.3	n/a
1991	1008	74.9	13.4	n/a
1992	1005	65.9	15.2	n/a
1993	999	60.0	16.7	n/a
1994	1005	62.0	16.2	8.5
1995	1053	62.8	16.8	9.4
1996	1053	62.8	16.8	9.4
1997	1120	67.9	16.5	10.2
1998	1141	76.3	15.0	9.2
1999	1204	82.8	14.5	8.7
2000	1252	81.7	15.3	16.4
2001	1317	80.1	16.4	12.1
2002	1353	92.3	14.7	14.2
2003	1353	92.3	14.7	14.2
2004	1380	n/a	n/a	n/a
2005	1275	91.6	13.9	18.7
2006	1295	93.0	13.9	14.3
2007	1206	95.0	12.7	16.7
2008	1251	91.0	13.7	15.9
2009	1249	92.5	13.5	18.9
2010	1207	94.0	12.8	23.2
2011	1193	91.7	13.0	22.4
2012	1165	82.5	14.1	24.7
2013	1168	73.0	16.0	30.5
2014	1181	75.5	15.6	26.2
2015	1167	77.0	15.1	31.9
2016	1181	83.0	14.2	34.8
2017	1104	82.4	13.3	38.7
2018	1075	79.0	13.6	33.3
2019	1087	78.9	13.7	28.2
2020	1043	88.0	11.8	38.4
2021	1018	84.4	12.0	22.7
2022	979	79.3	12.3	33.8
2023	1074	76.5	14.0	37.4
2024	1020	74.6	13.6	41.1

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

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